A letter that Rep. Jim Renacci sent to the United States Golf Association to criticize NBC's omission of the word "God" from the "Pledge of Allegiance" during its broadcast of the U.S. Open golf tournament has prompted criticism of Renacci from Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern.

Redfern noted the Wadsworth Republican is a member of the all-male Sharon Golf Club in Medina Conty, and said it's "hypocritical" for Renacci to disparage NBC "over an inadvertent faux pas" while he's a member of a club that won't admit women.

"It is perfectly legal, I suppose, but the question is, do the people of that congressional district want a representative who would segregate himself and support that kind of behavior?" Redfern said in a telephone interview. "Jim Renacci should reject the good-old-boy vestiges of the 1950s and 1960s."

Renacci chief-of-staff James Slepian responded to Redfern with the following emailed statement: "Millions of Americans, Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike, are deeply troubled when our nation's flag, its Pledge, or its history is misrepresented. This is not a matter of partisan politics, yet sadly, Chris Redfern has once again resorted to the same dirty, tired, personal attacks that do nothing but bring embarrassment upon himself and further broaden the partisan divide that legislators like Jim Renacci are working tirelessly to bridge."

Ohio's other prominent congressional golfer - House Speaker John Boehner - has also taken heat for his membership in the all-male Burning Tree golf club in Bethesda, Maryland.

"Like well-known journalists Bryant Gumbel, Jim Nantz, and Bob Schieffer, Boehner is a member of Burning Tree, as well as his home course in Ohio, where women – including his wife – play regularly,” said Boehner spokeswoman Brittany Bramell.